Paterson residents elected Andre Sayegh mayor because they believed in his vision of “One Paterson,” a slogan meant to galvanize people from every part of the city into a united push toward greater things, and new solutions to citywide problems.

What they didn’t count on, I’m guessing, is that “One Paterson” would actually become a brand – or that maybe it was just that, all along -- one more shadowy, fifth column entity that would help do the mayor’s bidding while operating outside traditional government norms.

Patersonians have seen these political games and loopholes played out before. The names and faces change, but the result is usually the same. Outside influencers come to town, or insiders rise in prominence, with one eye on helping the city, and the other on helping themselves.

Paterson Mayor Andre Sayegh(Photo: Kevin R. Wexler/NorthJersey.com)

Now to see these games replayed, just three weeks into a new and hopeful mayoral tenure, is dispiriting to say the least.

“One Paterson,” the nonprofit group, not the campaign slogan, was formed by the mayor’s allies, not by him personally or by his political committee. Sayegh has said he would enlist the group to help play a role in efforts to increase the city’s census count.

Last week “One Paterson,” again, the nonprofit, threw Sayegh a big inaugural bash at the Brownstone in Paterson, an event for which VIP tickets cost $500 and regular admission was $150. At least 100 people bought the VIP pass, while another 600 purchased regular tickets. As Joe Malinconico of Paterson Press reported, estimated gross revenues for the party would come in at about $140,000.

No one begrudges Sayegh his place in the limelight; his victory on his third try at mayor came by virtue of hard work, and a formidable war chest. Patersonians, though, are rightly wary of folks forming such a cozy relationship with a mayor before he’s barely even broken in the furniture.

Sayegh’s staff said the inaugural ball’s organizers checked with the New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission and confirmed they are not required to submit itemized reports – mainly, who bought the VIP tickets.

“I’m making sure we are completely compliant,” Sayegh said.

There may not be anything unethical or illegal about the mayor’s supporters throwing a big party and bringing in considerable revenue, yet it raises eyebrows, and leaves people uncomfortable – mainly because two of Paterson’s last three mayors, Marty Barnes and Joey Torres, went to prison on corruption charges.

Pedro Rodriguez, one of Sayegh’s main rivals in the mayor’s race, called the inaugural ball “a way to circumvent pay-to-pay law,” while another mayoral contender, Councilman Michael Jackson, said that the arrangement “just doesn’t feel right.”

Look, the mayor is entitled to have friends, but forming these groups with what seem to be nebulous ambitions or motivations is open to any number of conjectures, and controversy.

Last week the City Council voted narrowly to accept a $30,000 donation from "One Paterson" to repair eight baseball fields. That was the same meeting where Sayegh showed up to distribute copies of the organization’s nonprofit certificate, a document that lists the names of the group’s four trustees – all close allies and supporters of the mayor.

The mayor’s name doesn’t appear anywhere on the document, but some members, including new Council President Maritza Davila, still had their doubts about it.

“Your name is not on these documents, but you own 'One Paterson,' ” Davila said to Sayegh during the meeting.

If Sayegh wants to be appear to be marking a change from the past, he is going about it in the wrong way. Indeed, to any outside observer, it might appear that things are pretty much the same.

When Sayegh was on the Council, I talked to him often about the city’s low tax base, and about the daunting problem of making all the money go around to meet the budget. I mean, who can argue with repairing baseball fields in a place where city youth have been chronically underserved on so many fronts?

Yet by admitting his close association with “One Paterson,” right off the bat, Sayegh puts himself directly in the firing line of critics, and sets himself up for future battles with the Council. This, in turn, could hinder his efforts of transforming Paterson into another Jersey City, as he has proclaimed he wants to do.

As for “One Paterson,” what exactly it has in mind remains to be seen.